Christina Macpherson on how to be the kind of guest you'd like to have in your own home.
From my travels, meetings, and general nosiness into other cultures, I've learnt a few things on how to travel respectfully. Basically, I've learnt how to not piss people off. More recently, I'vebeen delving deeper into ways that we can travel in eco-friendly ways: consciously giving back to communities and respecting the land we are seemingly destroying with our consistent wanderlust. And you know what? It's pretty simple . . .
Book through the hotel's actual site From interviewing many a hotel owner, I've found a vast majority dislike large booking sites. Most booking sites take a 15-20 per cent commission from hotel owners once a room has been booked. The hotel also has to pay a fee on top of this, as well as often dealing with customers who believe they've already paid for the room, but their payment hasn't shown up on the hotel's database. Three separate hotel managers told me that, more often than not, customers who've made a reservation with a booking site get the worst rooms, and are sometimes treated a little less than graciously. The lesson? Book through the host's actual website — the prices will generally be exactly the same and all your money is going to a locally owned establishment.
Stay at eco-hostels/hotels/cabins It's commonplace now for businesses, brands, and industries to splash out words like "sustainable", "eco-friendly", "organic", etc. It's incredible marketing that appeals to the masses. And usually that's all it is — good marketing without a lot of evidence.
Do your research and stay at places that are actively aiding in softening their environmental impact.
This should come as no surprise yet there are many among us who walk blindly into a country that is not their own, believing all the rules, rituals, and social etiquettes they've grown up with will be the same. They are not. Be respectful and learn the basics of how not to piss people off.
Haggle yes, but only if you're really getting ripped off It often annoys me when I see people who have enough money to travel persist in haggling with stall holders and cab drivers on a price that is already ridiculously low by their standard, yet a fair price for the seller. If you're being hustled then sure, play the game; but haggling your way from $5 to $3 for a taxi ride that'll get you to paradise an hour away just isn't a nice thing to do. Plus, it's not worth the awkward, shitty treatment you'll (deservedly) get on the way from A to B.
Take your rubbish with you, even if there are bins around Many countries don't have the same recycling systems in place that we do. Even if there are trash cans everywhere, that doesn't mean your rubbish won't end up in the ocean or landfill. If you're staying at an eco-hotel (see above), they'll have systems in place for your trash.
Don't be a dick People may look different: they may adhere to different laws, believe in different gods, or worship using different rituals. They may appear poor, or seem overly proud, or act in a way that is foreign to you. Remember that this is what makes our planet so incredible — the diversity among us.
Be understanding, embrace the differences, and travel in a way that is both adventurous, and gentle.
